Democrat Terry McAuliffe, a former and -- perhaps -- future candidate for Virginia governor, isn't much impressed with the performance of the Republican he hoped to face last fall: Bob McDonnell.
McAuliffe says the new governor, who just marked his 100th day in office, isn't making it any easier to attract new jobs to the state by getting bogged down in controversies over his Confederate heritage proclamation and resisting legal anti-bias protections for gay Virginians.
In a brief interview today with The Richmond Times-Dispatch, McAuliffe said, "People are disappointed in several controversies that have arisen early in [McDonnell's] administration . . . and are exasperated by the time and attention spent on these divisive social issues that don't create jobs."
McAuliffe placed second last year in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, and is not ruling out another campaign for the state's highest office in 2013. His focus right now is business, including a pitch to buy International Paper's now-shuttered plant in Isle of Wight County.
But creating jobs in Virginia, McAuliffe acknowledged, could generate support for another run for governor. McAuliffe, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said that's not a done deal: "Who knows where I'll be in three years."
In a sign that McAuliffe is keeping his options open, he's hired as a new aide Levar Stoney, former executive director of the Democratic Party of Virginia. Stoney was at McAuliffe's side this afternoon during the interview.
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